Evaluation of Community-Based Program as a Model for Early Childhood Education Programs and Social Action Programs Involving Children, Parents, and Community Members.

Koyen, Gary V.

The Community-Based Program (CBP) Model was developed to achieve several major goals: 1) to provide learning experiences to children that are functional for them at the time, 2) to emphasize family and community participation and development, 3) to emphasize broad service delivery to the family (as opposed to educational service to one child), and 4) to economize in program delivery and to reach isolated populations at a reasonable cost. The CBP model is both an attempt to improve the cost-benefit (efficiency) of program delivery and to define a new direction for early intervention programs. The principal conclusion drawn from the study is that the Community-Based Program Model is a feasible model that achieved most of its purposes in the initial implementation. Particularly the model demonstrated cost advantages, increased opportunity to involve family and community resources, broader service delivery, and parity with standard programs on children's verbal learning. (Author/AM)